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Y RAILWAY TIME SIGNAL. No. 351,138. Patented Oct. 19. 1886.

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No. 351,138. Patented Oct. 19, 1886.

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RAILWAY TIME-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 351,138, dated October 19, 1886.

Serial No. 194,560. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM J. TRIPP, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved RailwaySignal, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to a time-signal wherein a clock or other motor is used to turn a hand or pointer in front of a dial, the hand or pointer being adapted to be set back to XII, or some other initial point, by each passing train, the movement of the hand forward from such point serving to indicate to the succeeding train the time elapsed since the train preced ing passed the signal-station.

The invention consists of the construction, arrangement, and combination of parts, all as hereinafter described, and pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which the same letters of reference indicate the same or corresponding parts in all. the figures.

Figure 1 is a sectional view across a railway-track, showing the application of my invention, the signal proper being shown in broken front elevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken on the line a w of Fig. 1, and showing the pilot of an approaching locomotive. Fig. 3 is a detailed sectional view showing the hand-arbor of the clock mechanism, the cam, the sleeve, and the hand or pointer,

and a tension or friction device for connecting the hand or pointer to the arbor; and Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of the signal, the dial being broken away, showing a modified connection between the operating-cam and the connecting-rod K.

The signal proper consists of the dial A and the hand or pointer B, moved in front of the dial by an arbor, O, which is slowly rotated by clock or other mechanism, D. The pointer B is attached to a sleeve, E, placed loosely upon the arbor O, and a friction or tension device or spring, a, is placed upon the arbor to act against the sleeve to cause it to normally rotate with the arbor. Upon the sleeve within the casing F of the signal is rigidly secured the heart-shaped cam G, the depression 9 of which is placed in line with the hand or pointer B, so that when the operating-arm H is brought downward to act upon the edge of the cam it Will turn. the cam, the sleeve, and the pointer, so the latter will stand at XII, or some other initial point upon the dial, according to the arrangement and graduation of the dial.

The arm H in this instance is made of a fiat spring,to obviate shock to the signal, and is pivoted at I) to a suitable brace or plate, c, at tached to the works or casing of the signal, and is adapted, by suitable mechanism hereinafter described, to be forced downward by passing trains to act upon the edge of the cam G, to force the pointer B from any point in its circuit back to the initial or starting point upon the dial.

The mechanism employed in this instance for operating the arm H consists of the rockshaft J, provided with the arm j at one end and the arm j at the other, the former being connected by the rod K to the operating-arm H, the latter provided with the upright stud j", to the upper end of which is secured the curved plate j, arranged to be depressed by passing trains. The downward movement of the plate j will turn the shaft J and cause it to draw the rod K and arm H downward, causing the latter to act upon the edge of the cam G and set the hand B back to XII, or other startingpoint.

For returning the operating mechanism to its original position after a train has passed, so the same will be ready to be operated again by the next train, I attach to the shaft J the arm j, projecting in the opposite direction from the arms j j, and attach to this arm the weight L, which in most cases will be sufficiently heavy to prevent meddlesome persons from operating the signal by stepping upon the plate 3' or otherwise.

In order to obviate any movement of the pointer B, (which might be caused by the rebounding of the weight L in consequence of a train at high speed striking the curved head j,) I shall in some cases connect the rod K to the arm H by passing the arm through a slot, k, made in the rod K, as shown in Fig. 4, so that after the arm H is once depressed the rod K may move up and down without in any manner affecting the arm H. In this construction the arm Hwill at all times rest in contact with the cam.

For winding the spring M of the motor D, I place upon the arbor m thereof the ratchetwheel N, with which the hook-pawl m, pivoted upon the rod K, engages, so that the downward movement of the rod K, caused by passing trains, will cause the pawl and ratchet to turn the arbor m and wind the spring.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. A time-signal consisting of a stationary index or dial, A, a pointer, B, attached to a sleeve placed upon an arbor, mechanism for revolving the arbor, the heart-cam G, secured upon the sleeve, the pivoted arm H, and the rod K, connected with the arm, in combination with a head, j arranged near the railwaytrack, to be depressed by the engine, and suitable intermediate mechanism for communicating the motion of the headj to the rod K and arm H, substantially as and for the purposes described.

2. The combination of the arm H, the cam 

